The discussion forum commenced with Lin Che Wei, Chief Executive Officer, Sampoerna Foundation expressing his heartfelt gratitude to Muhammad Yunus for coming to the event. To Lin Che Wei, Muhammad Yunus represents a world figure of exemplary qualities. “He is a gentleman who gives dignity to poor people by giving access to financing, a gentleman who believes that legal justification not to do anything is far from enough to help those people and to make a difference, and a gentleman who shares the same passion with Sampoerna Foundation: the empowerment of disenfranchised people either through access to financing or education." Che Wei said.

During the discussion forum, Muhammad Yunus explained that his first step toward helping the poor began with a solution of only US$ 27. “I handed out my first loan with only US$27. The borrowers managed to pay back that loan on time. It was that experience, which I used as a foothold to make a larger step into the world of banking, “ said Yunus.

Yunus added, that in the beginning starting the idea which was Grameen Bank was not easy. The difficulty lay in that he needed to overturn the common perceptions in the banking industry. “Existing theories in banking prevented poor people to obtain loans from banks. In my opinion, they need and are able to obtain loans. At that time it was very difficult to convince banks to extend loans to poor people. Not one bank was ready to do so. So I positioned myself as the guarantor as I attempted to convince the bank to lend money to the poor people, “ Yunus stated.

His success in obtaining loans for the poor motivated Yunus to carry out his own banking activities for them. Despite disbelief toward the theory by many, finally the world today acknowledges that the theory has been a successful approach in the  alleviation of poverty, allowing millions of individuals to work their way out of poverty with dignity. “Current banking theories only make it possible for the wealthy to obtain loans. The wealthier the person, the more money that person may borrow. At Grameen Bank, the poorer the person, the higher the priority is for that person to have access to loans, “ says Yunus.

Towards the end of his address, the Bangladesh native dressed distinctively in a white vest and blue checkered shirt, took time to respond to participants’ requests to sign his book Banker to the Poor for them.